FWD Drag Series

FWD Drag Series 2026

2025 was a great year for FWD racing with numerous cars running quicker and racers resetting PBs throughout the year. It was also a transitions year with a return of permitted FWD racing at two events in addition to sports compact shootouts. Congratulations to Emma Goddard, who will carry Number 1 in 2026.

2026 will see continued evolution with a proposed 4 round FWD Series run at permitted and non-permitted events, with points collected at all rounds.

There will be additional points for attending the permit rounds as they have smaller fields and a bonus for attending all rounds. Anyone able to meet Sports Compact Rules and entered in to rounds 1 & 3 will accrue championship points but to enter round 2 and 4 you will need to have a race licence and pass scrutineering etc.

The Eligibility Rules, Quick Guide and Championship regulations on this page apply to Rounds 2 & 4. The rules for Rounds 1 and 3 can be viewed on the Sports Compact page.

2026 FWD Drag Series Events

Round 1 – Doorslammers 15-17 May (Usual Doorslammers / Sports Compact rules)
Round 2 – Sportsman Nationals 13-14 Jun (National GSRs & FWD Rules)
Round 3 – USC 31 Jul – 2 Aug (Usual Sports Compact rules)
Round 4 – Greenlight Nationals 22-23 Aug (National GSRs & FWD Rules)

Eligibility Rules

DESIGNATION

FWD followed by competition number

SPECIFICATIONS

All cars must be front wheel drive. No AWD cars in FWD mode unless front-to-rear drive shaft removed.

Compact engines only. 4-cylinder, 5-cylinder, 6-cylinder and all rotary engines are permitted. No V8s.

Permitted fuels: pump fuel, petrol or diesel-based race fuel, E85 and methanol. Nitromethane prohibited.

All cars must retain full-bodied appearance, having two operating doors, both bumpers and a bonnet. Body style must resemble an original production car; one-piece front end permitted. No dragsters, altereds, Brogies or funny cars allowed.

Minimum weight including driver at conclusion of run: 793Kg for full-tube-chassis cars and 930Kg for non-full-tube-chassis cars. During qualification and eliminations, each competitor must present to scrutineering to be weighed immediately after each run otherwise their run will be disqualified.

HANDICAPPING

There will be a time handicap applied to full-tube-chassis cars, which will be the difference between UK Comp Eliminator Indexes AA/BF and BB/AF, calculated at the start of each event and unchanged until the start of the next event. To determine qualifying positions, the time handicap will be added to the full-tube-chassis car ETs, which will then be compared to the ETs of the non-full-tube-chassis cars. During eliminations, the time handicap will be applied using a staggered tree; non-full-tube-chassis cars will get a head start equal to the time handicap.
To be a non-full-tube-chassis car, the OEM unibody or body-on-chassis must be retained from the front firewall rearward; the rear suspension may not be directly attached to the roll cage; the original floor pan and firewall may be altered but must remain sealed with metal. Tubed front end permitted. Doors may be replaced with lightweight replicas.

TECHNICAL REGULATIONS

Drivers and vehicles must fully comply with the GSR and ET sections of the 2025 Drag Race Yearbook and with the 2025 Motorsport UK National Competition Rules.
In addition, all cars running 8.49s or quicker must have a plumbed-in fire extinguisher system, minimum capacity 2.5Kg meeting relevant FIA or SFI standards.

SUPPLEMENTARY REGULATIONS

As per supplementary regulations in the 2025 Drag Race Yearbook.
The 0.4-second, three-amber “Pro Start” tree will be used (see SR 11.2.3)

CREDENTIALS

Valid Motorsport UK licence mandatory, minimum grade Interclub. An equivalent licence from an EU ASN will be acceptable. Competitors must be members of the Santa Pod Racers Club or a club affiliated to an EU National Sporting Association (ASN)

Quick Guide For Typical Configuration

Closed-bodied car with non-factory turbocharger and/or nitrous oxide, stock or steel firewall, front transverse-mounted engine, clutch or clutches

This is a quick reference guide. Please refer to the 2025 Drag Race Yearbook, which takes priority over this document.

All drivers

Suit or jacket & trousers meeting minimum SFI spec 3.2A/5 or FIA standard 8856-2000 / 8856-2018 mandatory. FIA 8856-2000 suits manufactured before 2013 not accepted as their homologation is now withdrawn. See GSR 10:10

Gloves and footwear meeting minimum SFI spec 3.3/1 or FIA standard 8856-2000 / 8856-2018 mandatory.

9.99 seconds or quicker using methanol along with a turbo or supercharger
– Suit or jacket & trousers: 2 options:
– as above with full-length underwear and socks meeting SFI spec 3.3 or FIA standard 8856-2000 / 8856-2018
– minimum SFI spec 3.2A/15 (no SFI or FIA underwear required)
– Gloves and footwear meeting minimum SFI spec 3.3/5 or FIA standard 8856-2000 / 8856-2018 mandatory.

A HANS device (FHR) is required unless using a standard 3-point seatbelt, in which case one must not be used. It must meet one of the following: SFI spec 38.1 (5-year life) or FIA standard 8858-2002 / 8858-2010. See GSR 10:8

SFI 3.3 neck brace (horseshoe or donut) strongly recommended if HANS device / FHR not required.

Helmet mandatory, must meet one of the following standards: See GSR 10:7
– FIA: 8859-2015, 8859-2024, 8860-2010 (Not valid after 31.12.28), 8860-2018, 8860-2018-ABP
– SNELL: SA2015 (Not valid after 31.12.26) or SA2020 (SNELL 2005 and 2010 standards no longer valid)

Balaclava or helmet skirt required if HANS device / FHR used. Must meet SFI 3.3 or FIA 8856-2000 / 8856-2018

All cars

Race numbers at least 76mm high and 19mm wide and either decal or paint. Shoe whitener prohibited. See GSR 7:3

Ground clearance minimum 76mm from front of car until 305mm behind front axle, 51mm thereafter. See GSR 4:5

Minimum 3-point seatbelt required. 4-point harness acceptable. Lap belts not permitted. See GSR 10:11 and ET 10:3

Seat must be securely mounted with minimum four bolts. Rear mount required if roll bar or cage fitted. See GSR 6:2

Roll cage must be padded wherever it may come in contact with the driver’s helmet. See GSR 10:6

Water catch-can mandatory if any part of the cooling system can overflow; minimum capacity 0.5 litre. See GSR 1:7

Oil catch-can required in Comp Eliminator only; minimum capacity 3.8 litres. See GSR 1:15 and A 1.10

Lead-acid batteries in driver’s compartment must be in a sealed box and securely mounted. See GSR 8:1

External master electric cut-off required if battery relocated or competing in Comp Eliminator. Must be at rearmost part of the vehicle and marked with specified blue triangle symbol. Plastic or keyed switches prohibited. See GSR 8:4

Fuel and oil systems must be separated from driver’s compartment. See GSR 1:5 and 1:10

Fuel system including tank / cell must be within bodyline and adequately protected. See GSR 1:5 and 1:5.1

Nitrous oxide bottle must not be in engine bay. Bottle must be vented outside if in driver’s compartment. See GSR 1:9

The mounting of any camera must be specifically approved by the Chief Scrutineer. Motorsport UK Yearbook J.5.21.5

11.99 seconds or quicker

Minimum roll bar, drag race specific, must be inspected and tagged (no expiry date) See GSR 4:10, 4:10.1 and ET 4.5

Minimum 5-point harness as per standards below. Individual straps must not share mounting points with seat or each other; two straps may be wrapped around one roll cage bar. Must be in date and a complete set, i.e. no mixing and matching. On FIA harnesses, the hologram is on the left shoulder strap. See GSR 10:5 and ET 10:3

FIA 8853-2016 (expiry date as per homologation label, will be minimum 6-point)

SFI 16.1, 16.5, 16.6 (expiry date as per homologation label, will be minimum 5-point)

Flywheel shield mandatory. Can be 305 x 152 x 6mm steel plate on firewall in line with flywheel. See GSR 2:10

Locking device required on engine dipstick and, where used, transmission dipstick. See GSR 1:2 and 2:14

10.99 seconds or quicker

Metal screw-in valve stems mandatory with tubeless tyres. See GSR 5:1

9.99 seconds or quicker

Minimum roll cage, drag race specific, must be inspected and tagged (3-year life) See GSR 4:11, 4.11.1 and ET 4.5

Window net required. Must be attached to roll cage not bodywork. Must meet SFI spec 27.1 or be designed according to article 253.11.2 of appendix J to the FIA International Sporting Code. No expiry date. See GSR 6:3, ET 6.4

External master electric cut-off mandatory. See “All Cars” section above for details. See GSR 8:4 and ET 8.4

Parachute required if terminal speed above 149 mph or competing in Comp Eliminator. See GSR 4:8, ET 4.4 and A 4.4

8.49 seconds or quicker

SFI standard roll cage or tube chassis (3-year life) See ET 4.6.1

Minimum 2.5Kg plumbed-in fire extinguisher meeting relevant FIA or SFI standards. See GSR 9:3 and A 9.2

7.49 seconds or quicker

Many changes in driver and vehicle safety equipment. See drag race rulebook for details (GSR and ET sections)